Former Bihar CM Ram Sundar Das cremated

Patna: Former Bihar Chief Minister and senior JD(U) leader was cremated with full state honours at Bans Ghat along the River Ganga in the state capital on Saturday with leaders from various political parties taking part in the funeral.

Das, 95, had passed away on Friday at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where he was admitted due to age-related health problems.

He had led the Janata Party government in the state from April 21, 1979 to February 17, 1980. He had also twice been the member of the Lok Sabha from Hajipur constituency. The government declared two-day state mourning for him.

Das' body was brought to Bihar Legislative Assembly in a procession on Saturday where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his minister Shyam Rajak, MLAs, state party president Vashistha Narayan Singh and others were present.

Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Giriraj Singh was also present. The leaders paid floral tribute to Das and remembered his contributions. A condolence meeting was also held at the JDU headquarters.

The funeral procession of Das resumed from the Legislative Assembly and hundreds of people marched to Bans Ghat, the main cremation ground in the state capital. Bihar Military Police (BMP) jawans presented a guard of honour to the departed leader there.

In his condolence message, Kumar said that Das was like his guardian and his death was a personal loss to him. Das belonged to one of the under-privileged scheduled castes in the state, and had a long track record of social work. He always endeavoured for the welfare of the poor and downtrodden of the society.